Chapter 27

"Heaven knows,"she said sternly.

"I can wait outside..."

"It's pouring rain outside."

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter if you catch pneumonia from the rain..."Tong Yiwen caught sight of his cousin's figure; Bai Bai Ziling, under a floral umbrella, looked fragile and defenseless. "Don't bother Bai Ziling. I'm warning you first."

"I..."

"Di Di Zhiwei!"Bai Bai Ziling put away her umbrella. The moment she saw Di Di Zhiwei's profile, she couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice. He came too?

Di Di Zhiwei immediately walked toward her, relieved. Having lived to this age, he had never encountered a woman as terrifying, as dreadful, and as unfeminine as his cousin Bai Bai Ziling. He actually wanted to flee or stand at attention.

"You didn't get wet, did you?"he asked with immediate concern.

"Who told you that?"

"Jiang Jie. Unbelievable, right?"

"You made this trip for nothing."Bai Bai Ziling placed her umbrella in the stand. With her cousin by her side, she felt extremely secure. "Go back quickly; otherwise, the mountain road will be hard to drive in the dark and heavy rain again."

"Bai Bai Ziling, how long can you hide here?"

"As long as I can hide."

"Your coffee shop will go bankrupt!"

"Jiang Jie gave the money to open the coffee shop. If it fails..."Bai Bai Ziling had truly come to terms with it. "Then there's no connection whatsoever between him and me."

"You're stupid!"

"Di Di Zhiwei, stop bothering me."

Di Di Zhiwei, who had wanted to say something more, suddenly heard someone clearing their throat. He knew it was Bai Bai Ziling's cousin, so he pulled Bai Bai Ziling outside the principal's office. Although they would get splashed by rain, it was better than being stared at by that woman. He was afraid of her.

"Di Di Zhiwei, we have nothing to say!"Bai Bai Ziling looked at the large raindrops like pearls. "It's the same with Jiang Jie and the same with you. You are both wasting time."

"Bai Bai Ziling, do I really have not even the slightest chance..."Di Di Zhiwei prepared to give up. Although he was very disappointed and helpless, he also knew that matters of the heart could not be forced.

"How many times do I have to say it?"

"If it's a fake marriage..."he asked tentatively, "I haven't received my grandfather's five hundred million yet."

"Your uncle will slaughter both of you cousins. Even if you're trying to scam money, you should find a 'new face'."Bai Bai Ziling laughed. "Di Di Zhiwei, you're not as smart as I thought!"

"Love makes a person stupid."Di Di Zhiwei teased her.

"There is no love between us."

"Then what about friendship?"he asked seriously.

"Friendship..."Bai Bai Ziling looked at him. "Sure! I can accept your friendship. It would be better if we were friends."

"Sigh..."Di Di Zhiwei sighed heavily, somewhat self-mocking. "I originally thought that braving such heavy rain to climb the mountain would move you deeply and make you understand my sincerity, but it seems... everything I do is superfluous."

"Not superfluous. You have gained a friend."She smiled and patted him.

"I don't have a record of 'defeat' yet, Bai Bai Ziling. It's all your fault!"

"No one can remain a victor forever."

【Chapter 10】

The mountain area had been hit by heavy rain for several consecutive days, and Bai Bai Ziling's emotions became increasingly difficult to control. She didn't even want to pick up knitting needles to learn how to knit sweaters; she found even balls of yarn annoying.

Standing by the window watching the rain, Tong Yiwen suddenly turned to Bai Bai Ziling and spoke, her expression calm and encouraging.

"He's here again."

"Di Di Zhiwei?"

"Not Di Di Zhiwei."

Bai Bai Ziling immediately rushed to the window. That was Jiang Jie's Porsche. Even though the rain didn't stop, he had climbed the mountain again. Unable to articulate the sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy feelings in her heart, she could only watch his car and him through the window with complex emotions.

"Go."Tong Yiwen said gently.

Bai Bai Ziling stubbornly replied, "There's nothing to say."

"At least persuade him to go down the mountain."

"He has the freedom to do what he wants."

"Bai Ziling, you clearly want to see him too."Tong Yiwen smiled. "I am an outsider; I see it very clearly. Your feelings for him are absolutely different from those for Di Di Zhiwei. He will never be just a 'friend'."

Bai Bai Ziling thought for three seconds, left the window, and then opened the front door. Without an umbrella, she ran directly into the rain, rushing toward his car. Jiang Jie's reaction was to immediately get out of the car and open the door on her side, then he quickly got back into the car himself.

"Let me state first, I'm not going back with you."Bai Bai Ziling brushed raindrops from her hair and clothes.

"You're wet."He answered irrelevantly.

"So what?"

"You just came out to tell me these things?"Jiang Jie turned on the car's heater, afraid she might catch a cold from the rain.

"I won't leave here for now. I hope you stop coming to invite embarrassment upon yourself. I don't want to cause trouble for my cousin."

"I want to talk with you, and then I will leave." He seemed to want to tell her something. "Bai Ziling, I don't want to keep entangling like this either. You are annoyed, and I am not very happy either."

"Talk about what?"

"I once discussed marriage with a wealthy young lady. In everyone's eyes, we were a perfect match without a single flaw. But on the eve of deciding the wedding date, the wealthy young lady rushed into a civil marriage."Jiang Jie spoke of it now with a light and casual air.

"Not with you?"Bai Bai Ziling asked unnecessarily.

"Her groom was an orphan who made a living selling paintings in his daily life. His ideal was to open an orphanage."

"Ah?!"Bai Bai Ziling was somewhat shocked.

"They indeed opened one. The orphanage was not large and somewhat rudimentary, but they focused on this goal, worked very hard, and loved each other very much, striving together."Jiang Jie smiled unconsciously.

"This story might make it into Reader's Digest."Bai Bai Ziling had read many such stories in that magazine.

"She said everything was for love."Jiang Jie looked at her.

"She loved that painter..."Bai Bai Ziling could understand. "So... she could endure any bitterness and hardship."

"Do you think she's foolish?" he asked, tilting his head.

"If judged by worldly standards..."

"She said she has no regrets about her choice."

"So you are heartbroken?" she asked with a bitter tone. "Did you expect her to come crawling back, weeping, begging for another chance?"

"No! I just no longer understand women. I used to think I did, but later... I only slept with them, made love to them. I wanted them to tell me clearly what they wanted. If I could give it, I wouldn't shake my head. If I couldn't, then I'm sorry." Jiang Jie spoke from the depths of his heart.

Bai Bai Ziling chewed on these words.

"I never want to understand what women are thinking again. I will never allow myself to suffer this kind of pain again."

"Not every woman is..."

"Bai Bai Ziling, you all say you want a simple life. Does being with me make life anything but simple?"

"Have you ever considered that I don't know what's in your heart either?" Bai Bai Ziling spoke to him with a calmness she seemed to have never shown before. "What kind of life do you want? What kind of woman?"

Jiang Jie also savored these words.

"I have absolutely no idea what you want either!"

"Bai Bai Ziling, then what do you want? A wealthy husband?"

"I used to think that way, because I imagined being like Xia Zhen, Chang Chang Weiwei, and Sima Sima Xingchen. I hoped I could buy whatever I wanted, possess whatever I liked. But now..." Bai Bai Ziling looked at the rain outside the car window.

"I just want a man who can love me."

"Don't you think love is something illusory?" Jiang Jie had never said "I love you" to any woman, not even his mother.

"You think it's illusory?" she looked at him, somewhat disappointed.

"It's just a tool romance novels use to cheat people out of money."

"Jiang Jie, do you still believe that?"

"How many men, when they say the three words 'I love you', truly mean it from the bottom of their hearts?!" he sneered.